喜樂美語

核心畫面

Think of something carried to the very top of its kind — you cannot go higher within that class. Grammar borrows the same idea for -est forms, and everyday praise borrows it for words that reach for the top.

可以想成「被抬到那一類的最頂端」：同類的東西裡再也上不去了。這個「到頂」的畫面往兩邊走：一邊是文法，把 tall 推…更多收起可以想成「被抬到那一類的最頂端」：同類的東西裡再也上不去了。這個「到頂」的畫面往兩邊走：一邊是文法，把 tall 推到 tallest，那個推到頂的形式就叫最高級；另一邊是日常稱讚，用來說某個東西好到不能再好。所以文法課上的 superlative 和讚美裡的 superlative，其實是同一個「到頂」的念頭，只是一個講形式、一個講評價。

原始詞典資料6 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

superlativeadj/suːˈpɜːlətɪv/

  • 1

    Having the power to carry something or someone above, over or beyond others.

  • 2

    Exceptionally good; of the highest quality.

    • The Governor-General was entertaining at a civil banquet in the evening. He is reported as having made a “superlative speech, congratulating the Victorians on their loyalty; […].”
  • 3

    grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsOf or relating to the superlative degree (a degree of comparison of adjectives and adverbs).

superlativenoun/suːˈpɜːlətɪv/

  • 1

    The extreme (e.g. highest, lowest, deepest, farthest, etc) extent or degree of something.

    • A twist is accordingly something especially good, and a big twist is the superlative of excellence.
  • 2

    grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsThe degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb used when comparing three or more entities in terms of a certain property or a certain way of doing something. In English, the superlative of superiority is formed by adding the suffix -est or the word most (e.g. tiniest, most fully); the superlative of inferiority, by adding the word least (e.g. least big, least fully).

  • 3

    grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsAn adjective or adverb in the superlative degree.

    • Daniel is amazing, wonderful, fantastic, and many other superlatives I can’t think of right now!
    • Sometimes it feels like there are no more superlatives left. Seriously, what else can be said about this little guy with the No 10 shirt and magic in his feet other than to ask, perhaps, whether there is anyone who wants to persist with the argument that Pelé, or Diego Maradona, or any of the others, have ever played this sport any better?

資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。